Revealing the Profiles and Drivers of Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Virulence Factors in Soils Across Different Glebionis Coronaria L. Planting Sites

Abstract

CONTEXT Due to the application of contaminated water irrigation and bio-amendments, the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors (VFs) in soil have become a global problem, thus having potential threats to human health and ecology.OBJECTIVE How variations in the soils of Glebionis coronaria L. planting sites influence the profiles of ARGs and VFs.METHODS In this study, ARGs, VFs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and microbial communities were comprehensively characterized using metagenomic methods in the soils from five different Glebionis coronaria L. planting sites in Shanghai.RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The abundance and diversity of ARGs, VFs, and MGEs were different among the soils of five planting sites. The overall distribution characteristics of ARGs and VFs in the soils of each planting site remained consistent. Potential hosts shared by ARGs and VFs were present at each site, raising the risk of soil antibiotic resistance. Biological and non-biological factors, including soil properties and microbial diversity, were the primary driving factors for the changes in ARGs and VFs, contributing to 44.85% and 54.86% of the overall variation in ARG and VF, respectively. Taken together, the identification of biological and non-biological factors that affect ARGs and VFs in the soils from different planting sites could provide valuable perspectives for controlling the dissemination of these genes.SIGNIFICANCE This study underscored the necessity for accurate and coordinated strategies to tackle the worldwide antibiotic resistance challenge.

Keywords: Glebionis coronaria L. planting soil, Antibiotic resistance genes, Virulence factors, Mobile genetic elements, Metagenomics